This is a great question that stands posed before humanity at large What should education mean.

The mistaken view that most parents and most of the young have about education is that it is just a means for livelihood a means to equip for a career or for a profession. True it is to a certain extent that more and more professionalism is gaining ground among teachers as well as among students and education is considered to be just a means and not an end itself. In this world of hectic activity all around; of life torn within with competition and competence, the young mind is left with no option but to think of entering a course of education only for the sake of earning a decent living and lead a high profile life, if one can. Those who fail to make to this high-up in life have to feel contented with something lesser but should be with a job all right. So job- seeking has become the be-all and ends all of all educational activity, at least, in our country. Still, inspire of all this, the system of education and the lack of opportunities for employment leave hundreds and thousands, even laks in the line of the unemployed and frustrated lot. Education seems to be meaningless for them. That is why we find students in our country keeping beguiling themselves, and their guardians by continuing to remain enrolled as students in one course of study after another only to postpone the evil day of living up with the unemployed lot. Such ones turn out to become student-leaders trying to elicit patronage from this political party or that. Only recently when the U.P- government passed an ordinance debarring students beyond the age of twenty five from contesting the students Union elections, there was such a hue and cry and such an agitation raked up by such professional students that the government was forced to roll back the ordinance. Such so-called students pass the precious half of their life remaining in the University Campus on one pretext or the other and pretending to be still pursuing courses of education which education has hardly any meaning for them worth the name. So the question does knock at our doors to ask us, what education actually means and what should it actually do with the young mind? We should accept the reality that education should be such as to equip our young men and women with the qualification and the competence to earn a respectable living. But a respectable living does not only mean a fat salary and a lavish life style it means something more and something beyond it too. Living a lavish life style is the ambition and the craving of every young mind but should one live that way in the manner as a Retired Wing Commander so much recently in the news has been living along with his daughter. An educated man with a distinguished record of service, he was still lured away to indulge in such nefarious activities as drug-peddling and kickbacks in arms dealings. And are not all our so- called leaders who have been accused of being involved in scams to the tune of crores, duly educated? Some of them are really learned and are authors of books. They are high up among the educated ones. They have been top-leaders of their party; have held high posts and Positions but all their education and erudition has gone waste on them. They, by their shady deals, have besmeared the name of the educated class. Could education the highest one

received by them teach them the right way of life and conduct? That education could not and it can be said that education on them went waste. The Dalai Lama while delivering the valedictory address at the conference Education in the South Asian Con text: Issues and Challenges organised by the Education department of the Delhi University said and very rightly did he say it that Education must go together with basic human values and teachers must set an example for their students through action and deeds, not merely by words. He further elaborated on this point by saying there is too much stress on developing the mind and too little on developing a warm heart. Actually what he meant by saying was that education should be used to bring more happiness and meaning into life, to narrow the gap between perception and reality. Such education with basic human values will be constructive and beneficial for the society. There is need to develop a sense of caring for one another, a sense of belonging to the community, a sense of respect for each other, the more compassionate you are, the healthier is your mind. This is what education really needs to do and that is what real education is Sa Vidya ya Vimuktaye that is education which liberates. The mind should be freed from the shackles of bigotry, from mere ritualism, from false pretences of religiosity. By just relying on information provided by teachers and books and not individually investigating our knowledge becomes life a tape-recorder we should rather utilise our own potential of freely thinking on issues and problems. All this may apparently sound as just an idealistic talk but the fact of facts is that wherever we are, in whatever profession or vocation we may be functioning, these basic values shall ever help in leading a life which would be a worthy one. There would be a sense of fulfillment and achievement; a sense of self-satisfaction that would make us feels elevated and elite in the real sense of the word. This is the real purpose of education and this is what education must do. IMPORTANCE OF EDUCATION Education is not all about studying and getting good marks. It is really a means to discover new things which we don't know about and increase our knowledge. An educated person has the ability to differentiate between right and wrong or good and evil. It is the foremost responsibility of a society to educate its citizens. Focus should be on womens education because the knowledge and empowerment of one woman can b ring about a change in a family and even the society as a whole. It is the uneducated and illiterate people who think women are not entitled to education. A person becomes perfect with education as he is not only gaining something from it, but also contributing to the growth of a nation. We must realise the importance of education. We must aim to ensure that each citizen of our nation is educated and independent.

It is very easy to explain importance of education. No human beings are able to survive properly without education. By the means ofeducation only ones potential can be used to maximum extent.Education tells men how to think, how to work properly, how to makedecision. Through education only one can make separate identity. It is most important in life like our basic need foods, clothe and shelter. With the beginning we learnt how to interact with others, how to make friends because of education only. As I remember when my parents had enrolled my name in school not only I learnt the alphabets and numbers but also I made friends, interacted with them with teachers.

With further development you were faced with the sense of competition and desire and other such emotions and feelings, you also learnt to control these emotions and feelings. And also teaches how to act in different situations. Education is not just restricted to teaching a person the basic academics, say computers, mathematics, geography or history education is a much larger term. If you want to find out the impact of education on any individuality, you better do an intense observation to the ways of well-educated people and then compare them with an illiterate man. You would get a clear picture of the education and its accurate concept. Education is one of the important factors which formulate the persona of a person.Education is a productive and beneficial factor in a persons life. It is everyones right to get. The training of a human mind is not complete without education. Only because of education a man are able to receive information from the external humanity, to notify him with past and receive all essential information concerning the present. When one travels around the world, one observes to what an extraordinary degree human nature is the same, whether in India or Australia, London, Europe or America. Conservative education makes independent thinking extremely complicated. If we are being educated merely to achieve distinction, to get a better job, to be more efficient, to have wider domination over others, then our lives will be shallow and empty. If we are being educated only to be scientists, to be scholars wedded to books, or specialists addicted to knowledge, then we shall be contributing to the destruction and misery of the world. We may be highly educated, but if we are without meaningful combination of thought and feeling, our lives are incomplete and clashing. Education develops a meaningful outlook on life. The individual are different but to accentuate the differences and to encourage the development of a definite type education is must. Education is not just a matter of training the mind. Training makes for efficiency, but it does not bring about completeness. Knowledge and efficiency are necessary, which brings up byeducation. Education should help us to discover lasting values; unfortunately, the present system ofeducation is making us submissive, emotionless and deeply thoughtless. Systems, whether educational or political, are not changed without explanation; they are transformed when there is a fundamental change in ourselves. The individual is of first importance, not the system; and as long as the individual does not understand the total process of himself, no system can bring order and peace to the world.

India today is the second largest higher education network in the world. Universities in India are set up by the Central or State Governments by means of legislation, while colleges are established by either the State Governments or private bodies / trusts. All colleges are affiliated to some university.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court said today that the education system in the country has failed to achieve its objective and it has to be reformed immediately. "It is unfortunate that today education instead of reforming the human behaviour, in our humble opinion, appear to have failed to achieve its objective. Instead we find troubled atmosphere in the society at large, which calls for immediate reformation with the efforts of one and all," a bench of justices BS Chauhan and FM Ibrahim Kalifulla said. The bench said that in comparison to earlier times, the literacy level has increased but it did not result in better human value which calls for transformation in education system. "With great respect, it will also have to be stated that bereft of improvement in the educational field when we pose to ourselves the question as to what extent it has created any impact, it will have to be stated that we are yet to reach the preliminary level of achievement of standardised literate behavior." the top court said. "In fact, in the earlier years, though the literate level was not as high as it now stands, the human value had its own respected place in the society," the bench said.

The court passed the order on a petition filed by Maharishi Mahesh Jogi Vishwavidyalaya of Madhya Pradesh challenging the state government's decision to amend the law under which the university was set up. The Supreme Court said it is still a matter of concern that so many people are illiterate and it is imperative that the institution, the teachers, the parents, the students and the society play a role in bringing transformation in the present system. "When the British rule ended in 1947, the literacy rate was just 12 per cent. Over the years, India has changed socially, economically, and globally. After the 2011 census, literacy rate in India, during 2011 was found to be 74.04 per cent. Compared to the adult literacy rate here, the youth literacy rate is about 9 per cent higher. "Though this seems like a very great accomplishment, it is still a matter of concern that still so many people in India cannot even read and write. The number of children who do not get education especially in the rural areas are still high. Though the government has made a law that every child under the age of 14 should get free education, the problem of illiteracy is still at large," the bench said.

Drawbacks of education
Oct 28, 2002, 05.42pm IST

Today is the age of innovation and specialisation. And with this fast moving techno-age, the Indian educational system seems to go nowhere. Though we are aware about the progressive minds of Indian students all over the world, we tend to overlook the fact that most of them find abode abroad in USA or Australia. Let us focus on some stark realities. Indian education is full of innumerable pages of obsolete, outdated theory with no innovation or any practical work. The eagerly awaited new textbooks have nothing more than flashier cover pages. Moreover no importance is given to co-curricular activities. All this results in an all Indian sundae comprising of bored students who consider studies as an interminable disease and teachers who are victims of disinterest. This also increases suicides among students.

EIGHT PROBLEMS IN INDIAN EDUCATION

Alonzo Spang
The accompanying article was adapted from a speech given by Alonzo Spang at the Wyoming Indian Education Conference in Lander, Wyoming, in the fall of 1969. Mr. Spang is well-known In Arizona and western Indian education circles, and has contributed to theJournal of American Indian Education several times.

HISTORICALLY, three systems have served the educational needs of Indians: Bureau of Indian Affairs schools, parochial or mission schools and public schools. Recently, through the Office of Economic Opportunity, the tribes themselves established a fourth school system, primarily in the Headstart Program. These systemsstill involved in attempting to better the lot of the Indianhave had much experience in providing programs to meet Indians needs and have been in the business of education on and off reservations for many years. In spite of what they have attempted and of what contributions they have made, acute problems exist in the Indian education field. And Indian education will not progress, develop or evolve into a dynamic field unless the problems inherent in it are identified and solved. In an analysis of the situation, I have categorized these problems into eight broad areas,

from "lack of money" to "too many instant Indian experts." Lack of money. By far one of the most pressing problems is the unavailability of money or inadequate funding of Indian education programs or systems. The demand far exceeds the supply, and available monies are only for the most basic educational needs of the students . . . "the traditional curriculum." Very small amounts, if any, are available for innovative programs and ideas. Without adequate funding, the ideology and philosophy of Indian education become so many words. The concept of Indian education faces a bleak future characterized by stagnation, insensitivity, inadequate facilities and personnel. Is this what we educators wish to be contented with? The irrelevant curricula. just what do we mean by the often-repeated phrase, irrelevant curricula? My definition is that it is schools not doing their job in meeting the needs of their studentsespecially Indian students. This area encompasses four necessary corrections. An Indian student presently is subjected to an educational system geared to the needs of the non-Indian student without any concern to unique problems and background of the Indian. Yes, the Indian must live in the white mans world, but if he is to become a productive member of the human race, the schools must develop programs to meet his needs. The American school curricula stresses values in direct contrast with the values held, in varying degrees, by the Indian. Such highly esteemed values as agressiveness, competition, individual personal gain, out-smarting your fellow man, and verbal ability and agility are taught the non-Indian youngster from the time he is able to comprehend. These values become the foundations of the American educational system. Thus, the Indian student is thrown into a foreign situationhe has no experiential background comparable to it and consequently, retardation is "built into" the educational program as far as the Indian is concerned. Another aspect is the stress of the English language in the system. If educators would recognize that the English language is not the mother tongue of most Indian students, educational programming could become more relevant, meaningful and rewarding to the Indian student, If curriculum experts would include courses reflecting the positiveness of the Indians contributions to the greater society, another correction would be made. It is not difficult to understand why the average Indian student has a negative self-concept: he is taught in a foreign classroom, by a teacher who is literally a foreigner, and in a foreign language that he comes from a people who were bloodthirsty, marauding killers, and that the only good Indian is a dead Indian. Correct this image by eliminating these teachings, and replacing them with more positive characteristics. Education has directly contributed to the destruction of the institution of the family among Indians: To illustrate this engulfment rather than bridgment of parent and child, let me give the following example. Fifth graders are studying the atom or atom bomb and its effect on society as a whole. If the Indian child seeks to understand the concept of the atom more fully in an inquiry at home, he will discover that his parents are unable to help him gain that understanding because there is no concept paralleling the atom in the Indian language. Instead of help

or clarification, the child may receive some type of scolding. In the case of the nonIndian child, the parents may not know the answer, but they have other resources to which to turna neighbor, a set of reference books, a nearby library. Thus, the Indian child begins to question the intelligence of his parents, and when this happens, the parental role is threatened and weakened. This weakening continues as the child progresses through school because the parent falls further behind, as he is not keeping up with his child. Destruction of the family institution is therefore hastened. Lack of qualified Indians in Indian education. By far the most glaring problem is the acute shortage of qualified Indians in Indian education. Materialistic gains, incentives and opportunities entice the qualified Indian educator away from this challenging field. There is much hard work and many challenges in Indian education: isolation, poor or inadequate facilities, eager but academically deprived students, but ones ingenuity, creativity, patience and forbearance are put to a real test in facing these and other challenges. If Indian education is to meet the needs of the students, if it is to have the sensitivity required, if it is to be dynamic and viable, it must have more qualified Indian educatorsit must reach the stage wherein it will challenge the Indian educator to take up arms to join its ranks and to improve its lot. Insensitive school personnel. It is tragic that this exists in the 20th Century. Too many administrators and teachers are not knowledgeable about the American Indian. Whether it is attributable to apathy, indifference or design does not lessen the problem. If school personnel are truly educators, it behooves them to learn about the people they are teaching: To fail in this task is to fail to educate. The burden of this responsibility rests squarely on the shoulders of the educator, and the exercise of that responsibility is long overdue. Differing expectations of education programs. As noted in the section on irrelevant curricula, the American educational system is foreign in concept, principle and objective to the Indian student. The thinking, attitudes and experiences of the non-Indian are the base of the value structure rather than the aspects of Indian culture. Thus the educational perspectives of the Indian are not considered. The Indian views education as providing him with immediate practical skills and tools, not a delayed achievement of goals or as means for a future gain. Lack of involvement in and control of educational matters. The Indian has not been able to express his ideas on school programming or educational decision-making. When they have been expressed, his participation has been limited and restricted. If problems in Indian education are to be resolved, the Indian citizen must become involved. He needs to have more control in the programs to which his children are exposed, to have a say in what types of courses are in the curriculum, to help hire teachers, to establish employment policies and practices, and all of the other responsibilities vested in school administrationthat of being on a Board of Education. There are working examples of Indian-controlled school boards. These dynamic systems point up the fact that Indians can handle school matters. It is time that more Indians became involved in such control. Difficulties of students in higher education. Colleges and universities need to establish programs which can deal effectively with the problems and needs of the Indian studentif he is to remain in school. In general, the Indian student has an inadequate educational background as he may have been looked upon as less than college material in high school. He has unusual adjustment problems and usually inadequate financial help. It is time that more colleges and universities attempt to solve these development factors and provide a more successful educational experience for the Indian student.

Too many instant-Indian education experts. To the detriment of Indian education and its growth, each day sprouts more "instant Indian education experts," who do more damage than good. Usually, these experts have all the answers: they have completely identified the problems and have formulated solutions, but they leave it to the Indian to implement. Again, the Indian is given something to implement which he has had no part in formulating. These experts usually depend on superficial, shallow studies done in one visit to a reservation or school, or they depend on one or two conferences with Indians who have little or no knowledge of the critical problems confronting the Indian generally. Indian education can well do without these experts who cannot be reasoned with or who feel they know what is best for the Indian. There may be other factors which contribute to the problems of Indian education, but these eight areas are, I think, contributing to the situation wherein Indian education is not realizing its full development.
Indian education system merits and demerits
Indian Education system like any other system, comes with both merit and demerits. Some of the merits and demerits of the Indian education system are: Merits: Indian education system offers world-class education and provides students with knowledge of every subject. Indian Education system has reduced the number of illiterates in India It provides holistic education Indian Education system has helped to change the Indian society to a great extent. Demerits: India education system does not provide practical knowledge. It does not provide employment opportunities The quality of education is not very good as India is a vast country. One of the biggest demerits of Indian education system is that it lacks proper infrastructure and this leading to various other problems that the Indian education system is facing. The other demerits of it is that it does not use modern methods of teaching and lack of well-trained teachers in the primary level. Moreover, the cost of education is extremely high for higher-education and most people cannot afford it. However, it also has some merits. It provides a wide range of subjects which helps students to learn. It helps us know about various cultures and traditions of India as well as incarcerates moral values.

Indian Education system Vs Foreign Education System

Indian Education system lacks modernization. It still follows the age-old technique of imparting education. The Indian education system puts emphasis on bookish knowledge rather than practical knowledge. Thus students lack in practical knowledge of the subjects. In the Indian education system, students only focuses at gaining marks by mugging up things and not on gaining knowledge. However, it is not the case with Foreign education. The foreign universities are flexible and the students can take up subjects of their own choice. This helps them to gain more knowledge as they study the subject of their interest. Moreover, foreign education system focuses on imparting practical knowledge rather than bookish knowledge and also provides employment opportunities to the students. I think foreign education system is better than Indian education system. Indian education system lacks proper infrastructure. Moreover, the Indian education system lacks flexibility and students are forced to learn every subject whether they are interested or not. It does not implement modern techniques of learning. Indian education system does not offer courses that creates job opportunities and this is leading to increase in the number of educated unemployed.